Automobile



PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904. E. W. WIGKEY.

. AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1903. I

2 sums-sum 1.

NO MODEL.

PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

I E. w. WIGKEY. AUTOMOBILE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1903.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

E12 Y w v z UNITED STATES i atented nebmar 2,1964.-

PATENTT' OFFIC EDWARD W. or EAST OHICAGO,'1NDIANA.

AUTOMOBILE.

SPEGIFIGAZEZ'ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,235, dated February 2, 1904.

' Application filed February 24,1903. Serial-Ne. 144,562. (1% an To all whom. it may concern.-

, Be it known thatI, EDWARD W. W1oKEY,a citizen of the United States of America, residing at East Chicago, in the county of Lake '5 and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobiles. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new. and use- 7 ful improvements in automobiles, the object being to produce an automobile in which the devices for-controlling the power, speed, braking, and steering mechanisms are operated by means of a fluid under 'pressure-as, for instance, compressed air, steam, or the like; and

to such end it-consists in certain novel features'of construction and arrangement, a description of which will be found in the following specification.

- The invention is illustrated in the drawings 2 furnished herewith by means of eight figures,

of which Figure 1 is a plan view of. the automobile, the body of which is not shown, and the cyl inders which actuatethe various mechanisms 2 5 for controlling the machine being shown in diametrical horizontal section. Fig. 2 is. a side view of the parts seen in Fig. 1, the body being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section in the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. 3 Fig. 4 is a detail view of the speed-controlling mechanism, the view'being in elevation and the frame of the machine being cut away win the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of a friction-disk, the shaft being cut away in the line'5 5 of Fig. 1. v Fig. 6 is a side View illustrating the brake-cylinder and mechanisms operating therewith, the rear shaft being shown in cross-section, the line of section being indicated at 6 6 in" Fig. 1. 4 Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal section of one of the Valves controlling the pressure, the line of section being indicated at 7 7 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 8 is a detail vertical longitudinal section taken in the line 8 8 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of the running-gear, which is shown as consisting of longitudinal members a and transverse members a a The rear wheels a are mounted on an axle a, and the steering- 5 wheels a are journaled upon spindles a pivoted tothetransverse members a, said spindles being provided with arms (4 connected together by means of a connecting-rod a, whereby both of said wheels may be oscillated bodily upon the;pivots of the spindles a. A suitable motor B issupported upon the frame of the running-gear'and' may be of any of-the well-known types of motors used upon automobiles-as, for instance, electric, gas, or steam-and the shaft 6 of said motor carries upon its ends comparatively heavy friction fly-Wheels b.

The rearwheels a are the traction-wheels and are provided with gears d, in mesh with pinions G fast upo'n counter-shafts g, journaled in suitable bearings upon the frame of the machine, said shafts having secured upon them bevel-gears y in mesh with similar gears g, fast upon longitudinally-extending shafts G. The shafts G are journaled in suitable bearings at their ends bearing the bevel-gears g and in slidable bearings 9 (see Fig. 4) at their other ends, said bearings g being mounted on the frame of the machine. Upon the shafts Gr are slidably mounted friction-pinions G, said friction-pinions being provided with splines g, running in grooves g in the shaft, thereby making the friction-pinions non-rotatable with respect to the shafts. The friction-pinions' are moved along said shafts by means of links it, which are connected to the free ends of levers H H, said levers being pivoted to the frame of the machine at k. k and to each other at k by means of a clevis h, said clevis being in turn connected to the piston-rod h of a cylinder E. It will be clearly understood that by reciprocating the piston-rod if the levers H H areoscillated upon their pivots, consequently moving the friction-pinions G longitudinally upon the shafts Gr. The forward ends of the shafts G are connected to rods 02' d, the other end of the rod d beingin turn secured upon a movable cylinder D, slidably mounted upon the bars g of the frame of the machine, (see Fig. 4,) and the rod 01 being the piston-rod of said cylinder D. It is obvious that when the forward ends of the shafts G are moved toward each other the friction-pinions G will be brought into contact with the fly-wheels b I shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

of the engine and rotatedthereby, except, of course, when directly upon the axis of rotation thereof.

A, pump or compressor C is supported on the running-gear and connected to the shaft of the motor by suitable operating mechanismas, for instance, by an eccentric a, as

is adapted to keep a continual supply of compressed air in a reservoir A lead p1pe 0 conveys the compressed air to the various to the various cylinders to operate the speedcontrolling mechanism, brake and steering mechanisms, respectively. From the valve D extends a pipe d, which connects with the power-controlling cylinder D by means of a flexible tube (2, (see Fig. 2,) the inlet-port to this cylinder being on that side of the pistonhead which when the compressed air enters said cylinder will draw the two forward ends of the shafts G together, thereby br'fnging the pinions G into frictional engagement with the fly-wheels 7) of the motor. A second pipe 75 leads from the valve D and extends to the brake-cylinder I, (see Fig. 1,) which contains the usual piston head and rod 2', spring-pressed in a direction opposite to that which the compressed air forcesthe piston, said piston-rod being connected to a rock-shaft if? by means of a link a" and crank i thecrank being fast upon the rock-shaft '5 (See Fig. 6.) The rock-shaft bears upon its ends arms 71, connected to straps encircling suitable brakedrums i connected to the traction-wheels a of the machine. When the compressed air is turned into the cylinder 1, it moves the piston hack, turning-the rock-shaft and tightening the straps upon the brake-drums. When the air-pressure is relieved, the spring naturally returns the piston to its normal position, re-

leasing the brakes.

Fig. 7 shows a detail view of one of the controlling-valves, where it is shown as containing a plug d having two passage-ways d d. The passage-way d controls the flow of'compressed air from the reservoir to either of the other two pipes d 2', leading from the valve, while the passage-way d is adapted to connect either of said pipes with the open air. As shown, the position of this brake is that in which communication is established between the reservoir and the power-cylinder D, while the pipe i, leading from the brakecylinder, communicates with the atmosphere through the passage 01. In other words, the compressed air acts upon the cylinder D, holding the friction-pinions G in frictional This pump engagement with the fly-wheels of themotor, while the brakes remain released. When it is desired to stop the machine, the plug is turned into the position wherein the passage d connects the air-reservoir with the brake cylinder, thereby applying the brakes and relieving the pressure within the cylinder D through the medium of the passage-way d of the plug.

The valves E and F may be of a type similar to the one indicated in Fig. 7, the pipes leading therefrom, however, running to the speed-controlling .cylinder E and steering mechanism, respectively. These pipes leading from the valve E are lettered e e and run to the opposite ends of the cylinder E. In this way the compressed air may be turned in on either side of the piston to move the friction-pinions on their shafts. When the handle of the valve E is turned to the right, compressed air will be admitted to the cylinder E by means of the pipe e, (see Fig. 1,) j

thereby moving the friction-pinions G toward the periphery of the fly-wheels, and there-' by increasing the speed of the machine. When the handle of the valve is moved toward the left, the compressed air is admitted on the opposite side of the piston and the friction-disks moved back of the center of the fly-wheels, reversing the direction of the driven shafts.

The valve F controls the steering mechanism-in like manner, the pipes f f leading from the valve to the steering-cylinder J, which contains a piston and piston rod j,

which is connected to the bar a of the steering-wheel by means of a link 7'. It is obvious that when compressed air is turned in on'one side of the piston it will swing the wheels upon the pivots of their supportingryokes in one direction, and when compressed air is admitted on the opposite side of the cylinder it will swing them in the opposite direction.

In the operation of the machine-the handle of the valve D is turned toward the right, thereby admitting compressed air into the power-cylinder D, drawing the friction-pinions G into contact with the fly-wheels of. the motor. The speed of the machine may then be regulated by means of the valve E and the machine guided by means of the valve F.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an automobile, the combination with the frame and wheels, of shafts journaled in said frame and geared to the traction-wheels, a motor, fly-wheels rotated thereby, frictionpinions upon said shafts, an air-cylinder connected to the free ends of said shafts adapted when compressed air is admitted thereto to 'draw said friction-pinions into frictional engagement with the fly-wheels of the motor, substantially as described.

2. In an automobile, the combination with rotated thereby, friction-pinions upon said shafts in frictional engagement with the flywheels, a' compressed-air cyli'nder, 'a piston therein and suitable means of connection between said piston and the friction-pinions,

2 whereby the movement of the pistonwithin the air-cylinder moves the friction-pinions across the face of the fly-wheels to regulate the speed, substantially as described.

3. In anautomobile, the combination with a frame and wheels, of shafts geared to the traction-wheels thereof, a motor and fly-wheels rotated thereby, friction-pinio'ns upon said shafts in frictional engagement with the flywheels, a compressed-air cylinder and pistonrod reciprocating therein, levers pivoted upon the frame of the machine and connected to said piston-rod, connecting-rods between the free ends of said levers and the friction-pinions, whereby the movement of said) pistonrod within the cylinder is adapted to vary the speed of the traction-wheels, substantially as described.

4. In an automobile, the combination with a suitable frame and wheels journaled thereupon, of a shaft geared to one of the traction' Wheels, a motor, a fly-wheel rotated thereby, a pinion upon said shaft, a compressed-air cylinder connected to said shaft to hold the pinion in frictional engagement with the flywheel, suitable brake mechanism, a ,com-

pressed-air cylinder for operating said mechanism, a compressed-air reservoir, and a valve controlling the supply of air from the reservoir to the friction-cylinder and the brakecylinder, by which air may be alternatively admitted to either of said cylinders, substanconnected to said shaft to hold the pinion infrictional engagement with the fly-wheel, suit- .able'brake mechanism, a compressed-air cylinder' for operating said mechanism and a suitable cock interposed between the frictioncylinder, and'brake-cylinder adapted, when compressed air is admitted to either of said cylinders, to establish communication between .tially as described. y

In witnesswhereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent, at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 18th day of February, A. D. 19.03.

' EDWAIED W. WICKEY.

Witnesses:

RUSSELL WILES,

CHAS. O. SHERvEY.

the other cylinder and the openair, substan- 

